Minister boy-sex claim followed furious Heffernan lobbying

By Paola Totaro State Political EditorMay 29 2003

Allegations that a senior Carr minister sexually assaulted a 15-year-old boy have emerged just days after the disgraced Liberal Senator Bill Heffernan secretly lobbied NSW colleagues to oppose the age-of-consent reforms.

The Police Integrity Commission (PIC) will investigate claims - read in the upper house late on Tuesday night by the Liberal MP Charlie Lynn - that the minister had sex with the boy and "robbed him".

Last night, the Herald confirmed that Senator Heffernan - who used the Senate to falsely accuse Justice Michael Kirby of using rent boys - came to Sydney to campaign for the defeat of the age-of-consent legislation before it was debated and passed in the lower house last week.

Mr Lynn, like Senator Heffernan, is a strong opponent of the Carr Government's reforms, which lower the male age of consent to 16, in line with girls.

Mr Lynn read from what he said was a police strike force document which allegedly contained the boy's statement, and a police officer's corroboration of it.");document.write("

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The Herald has been told that Senator Heffernan provided copies of the same material to a National Party MP. At least two Liberal MPs who are also fierce opponents of the reforms saw or had copies of the documents.

Senator Heffernan's phone calls and lobbying were described by a senior Liberal source as "furious, bordering on paranoid". A Coalition MP confirmed that the senator had been "in the corridors" in Sydney but that his phone calls were more "akin to hectoring, than lobbying".

The Premier, Bob Carr, said that while he did not believe there was the "remotest scintilla" of evidence to justify the accusations, he wanted them properly investigated.

"I insist, even though I think this has got no credibility whatsoever, that it be taken seriously. The best way is the PIC do it. One, because it has the powers of royal commission, two, because it hasinherited all the material out of the police royal commission.

"But I repeat, we've been through the Wood royal commission pedophilia reference, we have had two police commissioners, we have had two elections, we're now on the third Parliament and we only hear of these allegations when someone is trying to block passage of a modest reform that simply brings NSW into line with other states when it comes to age of consent."

The Leader of the Opposition, John Brogden - who supported the reforms - said Mr Lynn had now written to the PIC but had only told him of his plan to air the claims "shortly before he went into the chamber".

He had counselled Mr Lynn about the seriousness of the allegations and urged him to put them to the proper authorities. Mr Brogden said Mr Lynn had also told him he had obtained the documents "in recent days".

But the allegations referred to by Mr Lynn are known to have been provided many years ago by a witness, known as W26, at the Wood royal commission. W26 had received the statement from the alleged 15-year-old victim and passed it on.

In September 1997, the then Labor MLC Franca Arena claimed in Parliament that Mr Carr, the then Opposition leader Peter Collins, and the royal commissioner, Justice James Wood, had conspired to conceal the identities of highly-placed pedophiles.

The police strike force, Cori, was set up to investigate her claims in December 1997. The parliamentary privileges committee also investigated Ms Arena's conduct, including whether she had tested her allegations.

This committee included Mr Lynn, and it was provided with all the documents from Cori, including the W26 material.

It is understood the committee asked Bernard Gross, QC, whether W26 should be called to give evidence, but he advised against it.

After the inquiry, all paperwork was to have been surrendered by MPs because all evidence was heard in camera.

The Herald put several questions in writing to Senator Heffernan, but he declined to respond. He also did not return phone calls. Last night, W26 said he had not had any contact with Mr Lynn.